THE BEST OF THE OLD BLOGS

Having gone through a binder where I've kept all my old blogs that I've since deleted, and since this was long before Facebook, I decided that I would update and post the best of those old blogs.  

DOGS AND CARS:

I'm convinced that all dogs think of cars as their portable doghouses.  However, if the first dog in is my English cocker, Bear, he is ready to guard the back seat against Polly, my poor passive beagle basset mix.  We lay down the law, and eventually the dogs lay down in the back seat to enjoy the ride even if we aren't going anywhere.

Either dog likes just being in a car, and to keep Bear safely away from the road, Tom lets him into my car while he goes down to get the paper in the morning.  The silly dog thinks he's on a ride [in a parked car].  And when I'm too lazy to walk to the mailbox, I take the dogs for a ride... to the end of the driveway and back.  They think they've been on a trip.  They also enjoy the anticipation and know what we're saying when we simply say, "Want to go car-car?" and they'll dash to the car, with bear jumping and twirling at the door, and hopefully not placing his paws right on the door... (a "no, no").  And, despite how eager Bear is to get into the car, it's Polly, as well as any other dog we've owned that appreciates seeing the world from an open rear window with tongue waving in the breeze.  Bear simply lies down and is more quiet in the car than anywhere unless asleep at night.

Polly as well as any dog I've had, other than Bear, will find the best window to poke their heads out to see the world and sniff the fragrant countryside, and watch for dogs, squirrels or deer to bark at.  Polly reads the wind like a chef sniffing spices.  I wish the dogs could talk so they could tell me what they smell.

It's my belief that the dogs we pass and are barked at by my dogs are getting just as much of a thrill barking back.  As long as I have dogs and cars, I'm going to be driving their mobile doghouse, doubling my joy of driving by sharing the dogs' experiences of reading the wind, and their utter joy of barking at other animals.

I'd like to add a turnabout, as in fair play.  Years ago there was a yellow Lab at a farm along the back way to Montrose which always seemed to be in the farmer's pick up truck when we'd go by, and he seemed to think his job was to BARK at anyone on HIS street.  And he'd be doubly upset if "other dogs" were in those vehicles.  from the way he barked, it sounded like he was cursing these trespassing cars... as if he were saying, "YOU GET THE HELL OFF MY STREET, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU TWICE!!"   And from the way he acted, you got the message that he thought his job was to scare all other vehicles away... And, by golly, it worked.  All the cars appeared to be scared away with their tailpipe tucked between their wheels.

I really loved that dog.  He held that station for years, barking away cars, and when he no longer was there, I missed him.  Later we stopped at the farm for Halloween pumpkins, and asked about him, and found out he was a great dog and companion to them.  They were a little surprised that we missed his barking at us, but they told us he got cancer and after a short fight, he passed away.  They had a friendly yellow Lab puppy at that time, and she came out to greet us, licking our hands and wriggling for joy at anyone petting her.  Very docile, but not our memory of that Alpha dog with his superior attitude.

[This was first run in December 2005]